Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Lessons Learned

Today was supposed to be one of those productive, get things done kind of days. I had the ingredients for our dinner waiting in the fridge and I was going to use my time wisely and get things crackin early today. But life has a way of teaching you a few things as the day goes along.

I lost my Crock Pot! I know I'm 50...but seriously? I looked for my big one the other day when I made the Apricot Chicken, couldn't find it. So I used my small one and kinda crunched everything in there. But today, I wanted my big one because I had a nice 3 and 1/2 lb roast I was making and I knew the little one just wasn't going to fit everything in it.

I do have a big kitchen, but it's not THAT big! So I was going to tear it up till I found that elusive crock. I felt like Sherlock Holmes. Let's just say my cupboards have been cleaned out, reorganized, some of the dusty dishes have been scrubbed clean and placed back into a tidy spot. I did find a large crock pot, but, the one I found was my ancient one, the one that the lid dropped off and hit my tile floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. You cannot slow cook without a lid!

Now, I started mumbling. How does one lose a Crock Pot? My husband insists I made something for someone, took it to a funeral, or a party and left without it. LOL. Probably. I just do not remember. So I chopped a gorgeous purple onion, crispy celery, baby carrots, and fresh mushrooms and then had to cram them into my SMALL Crock Pot, the roast had to be cut in half to fit (stuffed would be a better description). It was a good thing Jered was at school, Cassi was at a job interview, and Jerry was taking a blissful nap because someone let Grumpy Grumperson into my kitchen. LOL.

I went online to Crockpot.com to see if I could order a new lid for my old crock. But, it said that there were no longer replacement parts for that model. Of course! *sigh* The thought did cross my mind that my Liahona had quit working. Murmuring much?

No, we're not quite to the 'lesson' part. Wait for it......

So, when dinner was finally going and I was at my computer. I was all excited because today is P-day and I get to receive and send our Missionary letters, and pictures. Yay! I feel myself snapping out of my annoyance, and I am beginning to enjoy emailing Sister Dodge...when Cami called me. She is working at Glamour Pets as a dog washer/groomer while she goes to school to become a nurse. Anway, she calls and tells me that one of her customers who lives alone, fell and broke her wrist while she was walking her dog at around noon. The ambulance came and took her to the hospital and she had no ride home. She wondered if I could go pick this lady up and take her home. I said. "Sure." Cami said the lady was going to call me when they got finished with her and she was ready to go home. I told her okay, I'd be waiting.

My mind was going 90 mph. I couldn't quite put the pieces together yet, but I knew my heart hurt for a lady so alone in this world that she had to call her dog groomer to see if there was someone who could give her a ride home.

Her name, I learned, was Mrs. Finley. She called me and told me that they might have to do surgery on her arm and they were still waiting for the surgeon to come and take a look. I assured her that I was gettin ready and would be along shortly.

Soon, Jered came home and I asked him if he would come along with me. He did. We went to the hospital, parked, and went inside the ER to try and find her. I had written her name down so when I got there and asked at the front desk they happily waived me on back to room #2. She was probably about 65, short, maybe 5 feet at the most, and had curly gray hair. The nurses were really glad to see me when I went into the room. They gave me instructions and told me she needed to have her perscriptions filled and that she needed to be back tomorrow for her surgery. I assured them I would see she was all taken care of. She gave her nurses hugs, and they hugged her right back. She was a nice lady.

Mrs. Finley talked and talked as I got her loaded in my truck and buckled in. She said she'd been out walking her dog, Cloe, and the sprinklers had been on and she hit a little slick patch and went down. She said she tried to catch herself with her arm, (which she admonished me never to do) and it hit the cement. Not good. Some ladies who lived near her apartment drove by her, and knew something was wrong so they backed up, saw her arm and called 911. She said, "Honey, those ambulance people were just so nice." :)

I took her to CVS where she got her perscriptions, and a few groceries. That CVS pharmacy was hoppin' busy, I tell ya, and it took well over an hour. I kept thinking of how long of a day she'd had and what she'd been through, alone. She cheerfully shopped for a few things while we waited. I was thinking that there should be special consideration at a busy pharmacy for the elderly that had been through such a tramatic experience.

When she was ready, we took her to her apartment and helped her in with her things. She was so proud of her apartment and wanted to introduce me and Jered to Cloe. While she was looking through her purse for the key that the nice ambulance driver dropped in it for her...she explained she used to live with her brother at his house and only had one room, and not much privacy. So she felt very blessed to have this studio apartment to live in now. I smiled and nodded.

We were met at the door by a VERY excited dog. Cloe was HUGE! I do mean HUGE! She was auburn in color and her fur was soft like a poodle but she had a kind of boxy face, not a pointy face, so I knew she wasn't a poodle. Plus, she was enormous. I seriously think she was bigger than her mistress. Mrs. Finley told Cloe to be polite and shake my hand. I think that dog looked me right in the eye, smiled, and shook my hand. It was the cutest thing. I could tell this was one sweet dog and I was glad Mrs. Finley had her, and Cloe had Mrs. Finley.

I was humbled by the few posessions this little lady had in this world, but she kept everything clean, and also what she did have she was so grateful for. She told me her sister-in-law was already on her way from Oklahoma City to come stay with her and take her to her surgery in the morning and she would stay with her for a few days after the surgery. She explained her sister-in-law didn't have any children and assured me it wouldn't be a hardship. So she didn't need my help any more. I told her she just never knew when she'd need someone again and to keep my phone number handy. She was a sweety. I hugged her carefully and we left.

When we pulled away in our car Jered was talking a mile a minute. He had so many questions. So did I. Like, where was she from? Where was Mr. Finley? Did she have children? Where were they? Did she have friends, or a church family? There wasn't much time, and I could tell by the way she happily chattered that I needed not to quiz her, but be a good listener. I was hoping she'd get to those things but time passed and we didn't. Jered was glad I asked him to come along. We had a pretty cool conversation on the drive home. The kind Moms and Dads smile about later.

When I walked in the door, my good husband was sitting in the kitchen peeling potatoes for me, while happily watching the Texas Rangers. I could'nt help feeling guilty about how I'd spent most of my day... fussing over a lost crock pot.

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Hi and welcome! I am Sandi and this is my blog. I am crazy about my family. I also REALLY enjoy quilting, embroidery, crocheting (I'm a TOTAL beginner), cooking, poetry, travel, reading & the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope you'll find inspiration, positivity, amusement, and friendship. I am so happy you are here. Come back often.

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